How to Use Lightroom’s Adaptive Color Profile for Faster, Smarter Photo Edits

Wondering what’s the new Adaptive Color Camera Profile in Lightroom?

Lightroom just stepped up its game with the new Adaptive Color Profile, an AI-powered feature that could change your editing workflow forever. Unlike traditional Lightroom camera profiles that apply identical adjustments to every photo, Adaptive Color creates tailored enhancements for each individual image. It's like having an editing assistant who knows exactly what your photo needs before you even touch a slider.

If you’re looking for Lightroom RAW editing tips for beginners or want to embrace AI-driven photo editing in Lightroom, the new Adaptive Color feature is about to become your go to tool.

According to Adobe, this new update "intelligently adjusts color, tone, and contrast in RAW and DNG images," giving you a customized, nuanced starting point every time. Imagine walking into your edit already halfway done, leaving you to focus on perfecting the finer details.

Adobe Color Camera Profile vs. Adaptive Color

To get a better idea what Adaptive Color brings to the table, let’s compare it side-by-side with the standard Adobe Color profile.

Adobe Color Camera Profile

Delivers a consistent baseline edit, great for a neutral starting point.

Adaptive Color 100 Camera Profile

Boosts shadows and color tones, giving landscapes a richer, more vibrant look.

You can see the adaptive color raises the shadows more than the standard adobe color profile, which most of us use. But adaptive color also clips the whites and highlights...so you can then reduce the amount of adaptive color applied using the slider bar.

Adobe Color

Adaptive Color at 50

Adaptive Color at 100

Key Benefits of Adaptive Color

Tailored Adjustments

Adaptive Color analyzes each photo individually, adjusting shadows, highlights, and color saturation to perfectly match the specific qualities of each scene. It's smart editing at its best. This is ideal for photographers seeking a faster Lightroom editing workflow for faster photo edits without sacrificing quality.

Non-Destructive Editing

Just like other camera profiles, Adaptive Color leaves your editing sliders untouched, starting at zero. This means your adjustments remain flexible and non-destructive.

Learning how to use Adaptive Color in Lightroom effectively can cut your editing time while achieving the same incredible results.

How to Use Lightroom’s Adaptive Profiles

1. Open Your RAW or DNG Image: Load your file into Lightroom’s Develop Module.

2. Select the Adaptive Profile: Click the Profile dropdown in the Basic Panel and choose either Adaptive Color or Adaptive B&W.

3. Adjust Intensity with the Slider: Use the Amount slider (0-200) to control how much Adaptive Color you apply. Experiment to find your sweet spot.

Final Thoughts

Adaptive Profiles are only available for RAW and DNG files, so you'll want to ensure you're shooting in these formats to maximize benefits. Starting with the right profile means faster edits and richer, more polished images. Incorporating Adaptive Color is like giving yourself a creative head start, leaving more time to focus on the artistry of your edits.